Mother knows best

Boys will be boys they say, and at a young age, most boys find their niche right away. Most boys grow up learning how to play football in the front yard with their siblings, or practice their throw with their father. For Gene Kelly, sports was his thing, just like any other young boy. But his mother, Harriet, had a different plan for him, that he later discovered was for the better. Harriet Kelly, stuck Gene in gymnastics and dance class around the age of 10. Harriet always had a love for arts and the theater. Of course, being a boy and dance being a female dominate art, Gene did not want to continue going to dance lessons because other kids would make fun of him. However, he soon discover that the more he went to dance lessons, the more the girls liked a guy that could dance, so he stuck to it.

"At 14 I discovered girls. At that time, dancing was the only way you could put your arm around the girl. Dancing was courtship."

-Gene Kelly

Gene continued to dance throughout college. He put his good talents to use by teaching at a local dance studio to help pay with tuition. Also while in college, Harriet worked as a receptionist at a local dance studio. She came up with the idea of opening up her own dance studio, and so she did! As mother and son duo, the studio flourished and was a huge success.

So Gene, it looks like a mothers intuition must be real! He must owe his charm and dancing abilities all to his mother. Without her, he would've never become the star that he is known for, today.